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Another Nintendo Direct is in the books. Setting aside Nintendo’s E3 presentation and game-specific broadcasts, it’s been quite awhile since the last one.

There ended up being a ton of news in this week’s Nintendo Direct. Four games in particular were highlighted: Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (now with a December 1 release date), Project Octopath Traveler (with an eShop demo), and Super Mario Odyssey. A few announcements were made as well, including the surprising Doom and Wolfenstein II Switch ports, the first Dragon Quest Builders for Switch, arcade games from Nintendo and Hamster, Kirby Battle Royale and Mario Party: The Top 100 for 3DS, Minecraft: New 3DS Edition, and Atlus localizing The Alliance Alive. Other news was also shared like the November 17 Skyrim release date and more.

So how’s everyone feeling about the Nintendo Direct? Although Nintendo didn’t have much in the way of brand new Switch games, many games were shown. Did the presentation meet your expectations, or were you disappointed in any way? Share your thoughts with us below.

Samus Aran has a long history with the video games and is easily one of the most iconic and recognizable characters of all time. But unfortunately, the famous bounty hunter along with the Metroid series itself have been mostly dormant for quite a while. However, now Samus is back, and it feels incredible to have her at the forefront once again. Even if Metroid: Samus Returns is just a remake and not a brand new title, beggars can’t be choosers, and I can promise that everything the game has to offer touches base with everything we’ve wanted from a classic Metroid title for a long time while remaining fresh and feeling contemporary in its mechanics, gameplay, progression, and world.

If you want to buy a game these days, there are two major ways to do so. You can either purchase a physical copy at retailers, or pick up the digital version from a place like the eShop.

Some folks prefer going all digital so that games can be easily accessed. Not having to deal with boxes and clutter might be viewed as another plus. But on the other hand, buying a physical copy means you’ll absolutely have the game forever (assuming the disc doesn’t break), and it’s a way of collecting something tangible.

Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I do prefer physical copies, but if a game is only being sold digitally, that won’t stop me from making a purchase. And if I see that a digital copy has received a massive discount, I’ll probably opt for that instead of going the physical route.

Which side of the fence do you side on? Do you lean one way in particular? Do you refuse to buy any games digitally (or vice versa)? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – September 2017

To be quite frank, Monster Hunter Stories came as a surprise to me. I didn’t look too much into what the game was before trying it out, because with all my previous Monster Hunter experience I should be fine, right? Upon starting the game, I only knew fragments of information from the announcement trailer. But once my time with Monster Hunter Stories began, the game subverted my expectations, and it became clear that this wasn’t such a bad thing.

Announced last month, FAST RMX is receiving a new update in September. Players can look forward to a new wave of cups and tracks.

Since new content is coming to FAST RMX very soon, it was no better time for us than now to speak with developer Shin’en about the game. We talked with the studio’s Manfred Linzner about the Switch title and more during our discussion.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger turnabout regarding the reception of a game than I have with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. When the first major leak regarding Ubisoft’s newest Nintendo crossover game happened, the general reaction was one of confusion and general displeasure. That was the case up until Ubisoft’s E3 2017 press conference in June, where Mario + Rabbids was finally unveiled in full with the help of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself. That, compounded with a truly heartwarming moment from the game’s creative director Davide Soliani and the overall presentation of the game, quickly garnered new feelings of excitement and hope that Mario + Rabbids was something to look forward to. So, after months of anticipation, is Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle able to keep that feeling of hope and excitement alive, or does it leave us wishing the Rabbids would have just stayed home?

Switch continues to receive new games, but older titles are being brought over as well. We’ve seen this with third-parties, and even Nintendo. Although in Nintendo’s case, their “ports” have some extra bells and whistles – like the revamped Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and new arcade fighters for Pokken Tournament DX.

Capcom recently announced Resident Evil Revelations Collections for Switch. That could be just the tip of the iceberg, as the publisher seems to be preparing more titles for the system as well. So I thought this could pave the way for an interesting topic to discuss: third-party games we’d like to see ported to Switch.

I’ll get the discussion started here. There are two clear games that come to mind when I think about third-party games I’d like to see brought over to Switch. With rumors about Okami being released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year, a Switch version would be lovely. I’d happily buy the game for a third time if it meant being able to play it on the go. I’d also really like to see Persona 5 on Switch. I played through the entirety of Persona 4 Golden on the PlayStation Vita, and having that handheld experience would be fantastic.

But how about you? Is there any game – or games – in mind outside of Nintendo that you’d like to see make the jump to Switch? If not, that’s completely fine as well. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – August 2017

Sonic the Hedgehog is a series that’s both famous and infamous for many different reasons. In his hay-day, Sonic was perhaps the number one rival to Nintendo’s best known character, Mario. During Sonic’s early days on the SEGA Genesis, or the SEGA Mega Drive for those outside of the U.S., the Sonic the Hedgehog titles received high praise from all over game’s media, and was seen by most critics as SEGA’s answer to Mario’s popularity. This success continued throughout Sonic’s 2D era of games, with subsequent entries receiving just as much, if not more praise than the last. However, once SEGA decided to make the jump from 2D to 3D, opinions regarding the changes to the series’ core became a bit more polarizing. Some critics and fans regarded the changes as a necessity to move forward in-step with the evolving industry; while others felt that the series was straying too far from the its roots and was starting to water-down what made Sonic the Hedgehog appealing to begin with. Over the years, SEGA has attempted to bring the series back to its roots in several ways, but none have ever quite captured that same magic that fans were hoping for. That is, until Sonic Mania.